Towards a Health Innovation Alliance (HIA)

This project runs between September 1st 2012 to June 30th 2013 and is funded by VINNOVA with 2 MSEK.

The project aims at integrating Halmstad Living Lab with Centre for Health Technology Halland and Healthcare Technology Alliance into a new constellation called Health Innovation Alliance (HIA). The aim is to further develop innovation processes based on user needs and to build a sustainable milieu based on revenues from industry and public sector as well as by attracting external funding for research both nationally and internationally. This is a mobilization and concentration to refine a substantial theoretical base into practice.

SociaLL

The SOCIALL project is lead by SINTEF and other partners is Copenhagen Living Lab and Botnia Living Lab. This is a three year project LILAN project with a total budget of 5.345.000 SEK funded by Nordforsk. The project objective is: "Value-creating use of social software for co-creation in (a) existing Living Lab infrastructures and (b) SMEs with little or no previous experience with Living Labs." This three year project will end in February 2013.

Key SOCIALL results and effects are:
- Social software optimized for co-creation in Living Labs.
- Increased understanding of the potential of social software for innovation in industry, public sector and academia.

- SME uptake of social software to support user involvement in innovation and co-creation. Expected effect at the level of the participating countries.
- Uptake of social software for co-creation in existing Living Lab infrastructures. Expected effect at the European level.

Express2Connect

The E2C project spans over three years and is funded by the Ambient Assistent Living (AAL) joint programme. Halmstad Living Lab has a project budget of 746.245 euro with national funding from VINNOVA. The E2C proposal focuses on finding a solution to the very challenging issues and problems concerning:

1. Preventing seniors’ internal experience of loneliness as this is strongly associated with dissatisfaction with life.
2. Develop a new innovative solution for an emergent EU market for “preventive social technology”, consisting of the increasing part of elderly people age 65+.
3. Creating implementation strategies that allow the solution a place in the service ecology of elderly care by contributing to a stop in the predicted rise in costs of health and long term care.

The project integrates the individual and societal level with the commercial perspectives in four European countries with the help of Living Lab approaches. E2C aims to offer ways and occasions for communities among the users to be created, as it will intensify interaction, communication and dialogue between the users and contribute to the feeling of wellbeing, self esteem and belonging.

The main results of the project can be divided into three subcategories:
1. At an individual level E2C aims at helping people to stay active by using their creative potential (as former experiences, competences, ways of thinking and working etc.).
2. At a societal level having more elderly people continuing to live independent, active and satisfying lives in their own homes will have a preventive impact on predicted rise in costs of health and long term care.
3. E2C aims at creating a sustainable commercial solution that develop the existing solutions into a wide spread E2C service. This is done by applying specific, relevant media-content and social media principles (as seen on for instance YouTube and Facebook) which are not broadly used by elderly people today.

Free2Ride

This VINNOVA project with funding of 1.500.000:- was conducted during 2010. It was a project with Free2Move AB, Laholmsortens and Hylte Ryttarförening. Lars-Olof Johansson was the project leader for this project.

Free2Ride was a VINNOVA funded project where the technology company was cooperating with researchers and end-users in the development process of an IT-demonstrator. The idea was generated by users in previous Living Lab activities. The IT-demonstrator aims to support safety and communication issues that relates to horseback riding activities.

The results from the project was threefold:

1. The evaluation of the IT-demonstrator will provide solid results concerning what benefits and values the IT-demonstrator brings into this context.

2. The planned approach will enable the researchers to learn more about how user involvement influences IT-innovation process as well as the IT-innovation. Moreover this project enables ways of testing how distributed collaboration tools can support face2face methods and techniques for user involvement.

The local newspaper 2.0 - with engaged readers

KK-stiftelsen has granted this project 2.015.000:- over a two year period (April 2009 - March 2011). Partners are: Helsingborgs Dagblad Nya Medier AB, Göteborgs-Posten Nya AB, Mediebolaget i Halland AB, NA Tidningar AB, Sydsvenskan AB, VLT and Västkustmedia AB. This is a collaboration project between Halmstad University and Jönköping International Business School. Carina Ihlström Eriksson is project leader.

The two overall research questions, relevant for both industrial and scientific research are:

How can an open media environment be designed to leverage the values of user generated content (UGC) in media and
news production?

How can different stakeholders be involved in the process of designing innovative UGC services?

2. A conceptual model of an open media environment leverage the values of UGC in media and news
production

3. A framework for organizing open innovation processes for designing UGC services

Project logotype:

Silver Technology

We have a new project accepted with funding of 995.000:- for the first part of three (divided between the two partners) from VINNOVA that is called "Silver Technology". Project partners are Halmstad Living Lab,and Stockholm Living Lab and 2 municipalities (Halmstad and Botkyrka). Carina Ihlström Eriksson is project leader. The project aims at exploring the needs of senior citizens and their next of kins for a better technological aid that supports independent living.

Project logotype:

Social IT-Platforms for Elderly

Social IT-platforms for elderly is a pilot study funded by PRODEA (30 KSEK) regarding the potential of using ICT to stimulate social activities among elderly.

This project involves a literature study and a series of workshops with elderly and LBS Science Park.

Secure at Home - Living Lab

Living lab – Secure at home is a VINNOVA funded research project (1.600 KSEK) exploring the possibilities with a living lab approach. The project primarily focuses on methods for user involvement in the innovation process. The context of the living lab is ICT services and products aimed at supporting and empowering elderly people.

The overall research question within this project is: In what way does user participation affects the innovation process in a Living Lab approach?

The results from the project will be divided into three categories:

1. Evaluation and development of methods for user participation in the innovation process.

2. Establish a long-lasting living lab at Halmstad University.To be able to do this, we need to:
a) generate knowledge about suitable models and methods for a user centric innovation system,
b) bring together relevant and needed partners,
c) establish a user database.

3. Support our partners development processes of new products and services aimed at empowering the elderly.

Project logotype:

Secure at Home - Smart Locks

Secure at Home – Smart Locks is a VINNOVA funded project (1.500 KSEK) where two technology companies are cooperating with researchers and end-users in the development process of an IT-demonstrator. The idea to the demonstrator was generated by users in previous Living Lab activities. The IT-demonstrator aims to mitigate the problems connected to safety and security for elderly people living alone at home. Furthermore it will also provide enhanced communication possibilities between for example a caretaker, a caregiver and next of kin to the elderly.

The results from the project will be threefold:

1. The evaluation of the IT-demonstrator will provide solid results concerning what benefits and values the IT-demonstrator brings into this context.

2. The planned approach will enable the researchers to learn more about how user participation influences an IT-innovation process as well as the IT-innovation.